There was no mistake about that–this card was very similar to the one found on the Dog Trainer. Was this mastermind also a member of the organization, one on the same level as the Dog Trainer and the Infernal Bone Trader?
After staring at it in a daze for a considerable amount of time, I kept the card in my pocket and turned to the computer. Unfortunately, a password was required to access the computer so I removed the CPU, hoping Lao Yao could give us some information later on.
Song Xingchen and I left the study but found no clues in the other rooms. In an old, decrepit room, I noticed wine similar to the one that Mr. Mu brought home.
We soon stumbled upon the kitchen which was large enough to house a family of three. On the right was a huge freezer, and on the left was an L-shaped counter with more utensils than a five-star hotel.
In the middle of the room was the glass column described by Mr. Huang.
It was filled with liquid and upon closer inspection, we could see floating particles such as hair and dead skin. The length of the hair suggested it belonged to a female.
I couldn't help but mourn for the girl who was eaten that night!
In ancient times, before human beings had formed the concept of the soul, they would cook the dead and feed on them due to the lack of food. However, with the emergence of diseases caused by cannibalism and consciousness of the soul, human beings gradually abandoned this inhumane habit.
Of course, certain backward tribes in Africa still practiced cannibalism decades ago.
Cannibalism was something only the most ignorant, primitive barbarians could practice. It made me sick to think that these wealthy folk willingly partook in such a savage custom, using all kinds of eloquent words to justify their actions!
At the cooking counter, I picked up one of the knives and sniffed. Then, pulling out a bottle of liquid, I dropped some fat-dissolving solution onto the knife and discovered the residual oils that came from human beings.
These were all physical evidence pertinent to the case. I grabbed my cell phone and was about to make a phone call when I noticed there was no signal underground.
Meanwhile, Song Xingchen found a metal funnel attached to a tube. Upon careful observation, I found food residue on the inner walls. Because the perpetrators fled in a hurry, the funnel hadn’t been cleaned.
Placing it under my nose, I caught a whiff of several ingredients. "Beef, chicken, dairy product, eggs... They’re all high-protein food.”
Though faint, there were signs of corrosion at the end of the hose that was accompanied by a horrible smell–one that could only be found in a human being’s stomach.
This was most likely used to feed the victims. The tube was inserted all the way into the victim's stomach, then filled with ground food from the top of the funnel. Like ducks, the victims were cruelly force-fed.
Putting aside the cruelty of their methods, it was clear that the victims were "reared" for quite some time–at least half a month. These murderers wanted them plump and juicy!
I proceeded with the freezer. Despite the lack of a power supply, a gloomy cold draft wafted my way as soon as I opened the doors. Song Xingchen remained motionless at the door.
"Aren’t you going in?" I asked.
"I'll wait for you here," he shook his head.
I instantly understood his intention. If we went in together, someone could close the doors from outside, locking us in the freezer. Although the possibility of this wasn’t high, Song Xingchen’s vigilance prevailed.
At the thought of Xiaotao and my investigation of Guihe Garden, I realized how careless we were.
There wasn’t much in the freezer, just a few bags of vegetables printed in English–celery, tomatoes, asparagus and so on. the door. As I went deeper into the freezer, I came across a piece of meat spread apart by a stick hanging from a metal hook. At first glance, I thought it was a lamb spine, but with my knowledge of the human body, I recognized it was human.
To be precise, a human’s torso had been hollowed, with their limbs and head severed.
Even someone with strong resistance like me subconsciously covered my mouth at the sight of it. The corpse had been carefully skinned so it looked as white as pigskin. The middle was opened with a stick, exposing the ribs, while the pelvis below had been removed...
I noticed that the ribs were intact, without any scratches whatsoever, and the muscles were well preserved. No trauma could be found on the surface of the skin which suggested that whoever handled the body was well acquainted with human anatomy. Without a doubt, these sadistic animals viewed humans as food.
There were several wooden boxes next to me which I opened using a crowbar. They were filled with ice cubes and two fresh human kidneys were buried within.
In the other boxes were cleaned human intestines and lungs, and in another contained several bottles of frozen blood.
What was more incredible was my subsequent discovery. Only after closer inspection did I realize that I was looking at human feces which were quite healthy as far as feces were concerned. I also noted the presence of undigested meat fibers.
At the thought that they were classified as ingredients, it took all my willpower not to vomit!
I didn’t think I could bear looking at this any longer. It was better left to disgust the technical support team.
Exiting the freezer, I turned to Song Xingchen, "Let's get out of here first!"
As we passed the living room, Song Xingchen suddenly cried, "There’s something under the table!"
I saw it as well. It was a long bag about the size of an adult. Could it be...
Just as I wondered at what it was, the bag suddenly moved, much to surprise. My first reaction was to quickly examine it, but Song Xingchen stopped me, "Be careful! It could be a trap."
"Alright."
I began by poking the bag. And judging from the touch, it wasn’t human, though the shape was very similar.
At this moment, the bag moved once more. I jumped in fright.
Slowly unzipping it, I soon discovered what it was when a head popped out–it was an inflatable doll, but its body was constantly expanding as if it were filled with some kind of gas. In the blink of an eye, the doll was erected within the bag.
"It's a trap, run!" shouted Song Xingchen.
As soon as the words left his lips, the lights in the living flickered, causing dizziness and disorientation. Thud! The sound of some type of mechanism reverberated around the room and the air was filled with a pungent smell–it was an incapacitating agent!
When I finally recovered my sight, I noticed the fireproof doors all around us had closed. The doll remained spinning in the same place, its seams cracking in succession, spewing out gas from within. It turned out there was a pipe underneath the doll.
"The pill..." Song Xingchen fell to his knees, supported by his sword as a porcelain bottle rolled to my feet.
Holding my breath, I immediately stuffed a pill into his mouth and swallowed another. It was some sort of muscle relaxant which I accidentally inhaled. Even with the Mind Clearing Pill, I felt my limbs weakening.
I knelt weakly on the ground when the doors were suddenly opened. A group of men in black wearing gas masks marched in and lined up in two rows. A tall, bald man walked out with his hands behind his back, also wearing a gas mask.
Clapping his hands dryly, he said, "Great Detective Song, I never expected to catch you!"
"Who are you?" I bit the bullet.
"I’m known as the Crazy Six Tao Chef. I’m a mid-level official of the organization. It's very nice to meet you!"